Ploughing a furrow to success
Image 1 of 7
Gerard Halpin, secretary of the Westmeath Ploughing Association and chairman of Castlepollard hurling and camogie club, won the All-Ireland title in the 2 Furrow Conventional Ploughing Junior B category at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.Image 2 of 7
Charlie Bourke, age 18, from Frevenagh, Kilbeggan, who won the All-Ireland Novice title at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.Image 3 of 7
John Daly from Ballinagore, who finished in second place in the Junior Men’s Ploughing championships.Image 4 of 7
Chloe Daly, Ballinagore, came second in the Senior Ladies Loy Ploughing at the National championships in Screggan, Tullamore.Image 5 of 7
Charlie Bourke and his coach Senator Paul Daly at the National Ploughing Championships, where they took first place in the Novice section.Image 6 of 7
Christy Carton, one of the Top 10 ploughmen in the country, in action at the National Ploughing Championships last week.Image 7 of 7
Jack Kearney from Ballinahown competed in this year’s Junior Novice U28 category at the National Ploughing Championships.There was cause for celebrations in the Westmeath Ploughing camp this year as they brought home two All-Ireland titles and several other wins from the National Ploughing Championships.
Gerard Halpin from Castlepollard came first in the 2 Furrow Conventional Ploughing Junior B category, and 18-year-old Charlie Bourke from Frevenagh, Kilbeggan, won the Novice All-Ireland title
Charlie only took up ploughing this year but it is “in my blood”, he told the Westmeath Examiner. His late grandfather Jimmy Daly was head supervisor in the Senior All-Ireland competitions for years, and his mother Mary Daly and his uncle Ger Daly were also ploughing champions.
“I just took it up this year, but I had two great teachers” – Senator Paul Daly and Christy Carton, both relations of Charlie. Paul was Charlie’s coach at the competition.
When asked how he felt when he won, Charlie said: “I was over the moon! I didn’t think I had it, I thought I was second or third.”
Charlie works for agricultural contractor Derek McMahon in Kilbeggan. At the other end of the scale, Gerard Halpin competed in his first ploughing competition nearly 30 years ago but gave it up for 20 years as he was in Australia. “This was my third All-Ireland Junior Ploughing competition, I was U21 before that,” he explained.
Gerard has been secretary of the Westmeath Ploughing Association for the last two years. He found the ground difficult this year and had “a bit of plough damage too” when he broke a shear with rocks, but he still managed to win the All-Ireland title and now moves up to the Junior A category.
He went down to the ploughing on Wednesday “to do a recce of the grounds and to chat to a few of the more experienced ploughmen”. His father Michael is a farmer and a ploughman too and was plot supervisor for the three days. On Thursday, Gerard and his son Cormac went to the competitions.
Gerard was delighted with his win and with the other Westmeath successes this year – Charlie Bourke in the Novice, Christy Carton “was declared one of the 10 best ploughers in the country and is probably in the top six”; father and daughter John and Chloe Daly from Ballinagore both finished in second place in their categories – John in the Junior Men’s section and Chloe in the Senior Ladies Loy Digging; and Andrew Ennis from Collinstown, who was fifth in the 3 Furrow category.
The other Westmeath contestants, Senator Daly in the Junior A, Gerry North from Moate in the Horse Ploughing section, and Jack Kearney, Ballinahown, in the Junior Novice Under 28, all finished well. “Everyone punched well,” Gerard said.
Gerard and his wife Sharon returned from Australia seven years ago with their three sons – Conor aged 14, Cormac 12, and Cian 8. Gerard is chairperson of Castlepollard Hurling and Camogie Club and Sharon is the Underage chairperson. Gerard said that although he played hurling in his younger years, it was their sons that got them involved.
“The three of them were born in Australia but they now eat hurling and Gaelic football, which they play with Ballycomoyle,” Gerard said.
When they returned home, the couple set up Conimac Limited, a farm and heavy machinery repair business. Gerard’s brother Raymond works with the company and they provide machinery repair services in Westmeath, Laois and Offaly.